The Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) said it is seeking the relaxation of government rules for visa processing for Chinese tourists in the Philippines, as a way of making the Philippines a competitive tourism destination in the region.
In a statement issued on Monday, FFCCCII President Cecilio Pedro cited the fact that Philippine neighbors in Asean such as Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia were already offering visa-free entry to Chinese tourists, while other countries have set up visa-upon-arrival facilities, giving them the edge in attracting both visitors and investors.
Pedro pointed out the DFA did not include the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs as the reason for restricting the entry of Chinese nationals into the country. He noted, however, there is a perception that some workers are using the tourist visa route to work for POGOs.
“Our Philippine government’s good policy of banning all POGOs by December 2024 should now hopefully pave the way for normalizing faster visa approvals for China tourists and investors, so that the Philippines can truly be competitive with its Asean and Asian neighbors,” Pedro told Malaya Business Insight on Monday.
In a separate statement on January 5, Tourism Secretary Ma. Christina Garcia Frasco said the Department of Tourism (DOT) has been lobbying with other government agencies to enforce liberal policies for granting visa entry for Chinese tourists.
“The suspension of the electronic visa system by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) negatively impacted the projected arrivals from China,” Frasco said in the statement posted on DOT website.
The FFCCCII president called for sustained socio-economic reforms, national stability, tourism development, and enhanced global competitiveness during a press conference held at Marco Polo Hotel in Cebu on Sunday, sponsored by the federation and the Cebu Mandaue Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Pedro said 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the Philippines-China diplomatic relations.
Cebu-Mandaue FFCCII honorary chair Justin Uy emphasized the need for the Philippines to enhance its global competitiveness in tourism, services, exports, and various industries.
Pedro and Uy said in the same statement on Monday that national harmony and stability are important to sustain economic growth.
Uy said in a separate interview on Monday normalization and less difficult visa approvals for Chinese tourists will allow the Philippines to revive the tourism industry and be able to be on a par with Asean and Asian countries in attracting affluent tourists from China.
The DFA had been quoted as saying in late 2023 it was suspending e-visa applications for Chinese citizens to allow further improvement in its “future operations.”
On June 13, 2024, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) posted an advisory on its website saying it was imposing additional requirements for Chinese nationals applying for 9(A) Temporary Visitor’s Visas such as Chinese Social Insurance Record Certificates as part of the agency’s continuing efforts to enhance its visa policies and regulations for the safe and efficient entry of foreign visitors.”
Later that month, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued a statement welcoming the DFA’s move “as it adds another strong layer of protection against foreigners who might attempt to exploit the visa system.”
In that statement, Tansingco quoted the DFA as saying that the imposition of the additional requirement was made following the “headline discovery of fraudulently-obtained passports and visas resulting in the illicit entry and overstay” of foreigners in the Philippines.
Tourism department data showed China was the second biggest market of Philippine tourism, with 1.2 million arrivals in 2019.
In 2024, the arrivals from China numbered 266,557, based on DOT tourism data.
In contrast, Statista data showed that Thailand attracted 6.2 million tourists from China last year.
